


Not Ready for Love

by MsKRyan_ox



Series: Rayleigh Copeland-Mizanin [4]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Reality, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-03-15 05:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3435425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsKRyan_ox/pseuds/MsKRyan_ox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick Nemeth was fine with what he knew. No strings attached, barely getting their names, but when his best friend's wife sets her eyes on his love life, he meets an adorable toddler and her beautiful mother. But, is either party ready for the love that just seems to follow Rayleigh Mizanin everywhere she goes? And what does Beth Good have to do with it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Head of Female Talent Relations

Chapter I: Head of Female Talent Relations

* * *

In hindsight, he really should have known. He should have known that she was going to butt her match making nose into his love life the moment she had accepted the position as Head of Female Talent Relations that had been offered to her by Paul Levesque. There was no good reason for her to even be on the road anymore, with the exception of visiting her husband, who just so happened to be his best friend in the WWE. Rayleigh Mizanin had slowly become the bane of his existence and he was beginning to curse the day that she had set her blue eyes on his, at the moment, very empty, but not monk-like love life. He didn't need anyone's help in that part of his life, and more importantly, he didn't need the help of the WWE's resident match maker.

"You know," Mike started, as he lifted a set of weights with his legs, "If you just went on the dates that she's been setting you up on instead of cancelling them, she'd eventually just leave you alone."

"I don't want nor need your wife's help man, I get dates all on my own," Nick responded, as he took a pause in his own work out, "Look, I know, she's practically set up everybody on the roster-"

"And for good reason," Mike interrupted with a chuckle, "Her set ups last. Just last week, Nikki called her, practically screaming in her ear because she managed to do the impossible. John finally proposed. Don't you want to be happy man? Don't you want someone who will love you because you're Nick Nemeth and not because you're the WWE's resident show off?" Nick ran a hand through his sweaty bleach blonde locks and looked over at his best friend. Mike was right, obviously. Everyone that Rayleigh had managed to set up after she and Mike had gotten married and even before then were happy. It was like one giant love fest backstage at WWE shows.

"Of course, I want that," Nick responded, setting his water bottle back in his bag, "I-I just want to be able to say that I did it on my own. Practically everyone in the locker room has Rayleigh to thank for their happiness. Is it so wrong that I want to be different?"

"No, it's not, but how successful have you been in this venture to find love on your own," Mike asked, looking at his friend knowingly, "I get it man, I do, but she just doesn't want you to look lonely anymore. She's sick of you looking like the odd man out and I know that I'm probably the last person you want to complain about this to because-"

"You're married to the absolute bane of my existence at this point in time and the moment that we walk through your hotel room door, your lovely wife is going to weasel this entire conversation out of you and use it against my later on," Nick finished for the proud father of two, "I thought you wanted her to stop with the set-ups anyway?"

"At one time I did," Mike answered, as he wiped his neck free of the sweat that was dripping from his hair, "But, then I realised that taking care of myself, Sophie, Wyatt and then herself, as well as taking care of the Divas needs only took up so much of her time. She was bored and looking for something to do."

"So instead of occupying her with more physical activities of the horizontal kind, you, oh I don't know, decided that she should occupy her time by using her match making skills on your best friend. I thought it was us against the world man?"

"It is, and I didn't really do anything," Mike defended with a hint of humor in his voice, "She set her sights on your love life all on her own, I just, sort of, encouraged it."

"Encouraged it," Nick repeated, with a hint of exasperation, "She took a job just to keep an eye on me…"

"She was thinking about taking that job long before she even thought about setting you up with her friend from high school," Mike chuckled, as the two friends packed up their gym bags before picking them up and making to exit the hotel gym.

"What is this friend of hers like anyway," Nick asked, running a hand through his still sweaty hair. Mike inwardly smirked. The moment that the question left the show off's mouth, Mike knew that he had the man hooked or at least slightly interested. The mental smirk only last half a second before a frown replaced it, because even after being with her almost seven or eight years, he had no idea how she did it.

"Well," Mike started, "She's really sweet, she's kind of quiet and timid though, so if you decide to go ahead with this, Ray and I will be joining you for your first date. Rayleigh really doesn't want you to back out at the last minute and well…" Mike trailed off with a mumble, causing Nick to look at him in complete confusion. Mike always mumbled when he wasn't sure how Nick would take something that he was trying to tell him.

Mike mumbled when he had broken the news to Matt Cardona and himself when Mike had decided that he was going to start traveling with Rayleigh when they had first gotten together. He had mumbled when he had broken the news that he was going to propose to Rayleigh and needed Nick's help to find the perfect ring. Mike even managed to mumble when he had broken the news both time that the married couple had found out Rayleigh was pregnant. If anything was for sure in this business, Mike Mizanin was a creature of habit.

"Do you want to repeat that one more time," Nick chuckled, "This time maybe without the mumble you're so found of doing." The two friends shared a chuckle before coming to stand in front of the elevator. As the elevator doors opened, Mike turned to look at his friend with a serious look in his eye.

"She's a single mother."

* * *

"Look, I know that look," Jon sighed, as he watched the new Head of Female Talent Relations tap away on her computer, while his beautifully pregnant wife, Beth bounced their godson on her knee beside him. Rayleigh looked up at him peering over the top of her black framed glasses.

"What look?"

"The look on your face that is clearly telling me that you have your sights set on someone else's love life again," Jon chuckled, as the blonde mini version of Rayleigh began climbing all over him trying to grab his attention away from her mother, "I was on the receiving end of that look quite a few times less than a year and a half ago, I know what it looks like."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Rayleigh answered, pushing her glasses back up her nose before looking back down at her computer, "I also don't know why you just didn't go to Carrano to book this time off. He's the one that is actually in charge of the male roster."

"Yeah, well, he's a pain in my a-uh rear end most of the time," Jon explained with a shrug, as he wrapped an arm around Sophie keeping her from falling off of his lap, "At least you just ask the mandatory questions before doing what needs to be done, plus at least I know you'll make sure that the time I ask for is booked off. I don't have to keep reminding you every month." Rayleigh looked at him over the top of her glasses again. Jon still wasn't used to seeing her wear them.

A couple of months after her Hall of Fame induction and John Cena's match against the Undertaker where she had ultimately vowed revenge against the man after him with a steel chair twelve times when the match and pay-per-view were over, she had started to complain about severe headaches. Mike had been an emotional wreck during that time because he thought that it was something much worse, but upon visiting the optometrist, they realised that she just needed a pair of prescription glasses and all her headaches went away.

"What are you talking about," Rayleigh asked, looking at him confused, "I called you, remember? I had received the results of Beth's mandatory drug and pregnancy test and called her to talk about them. You just decided to come with, so you can spoil the little girl on your lap with all of your attention."

"What can I say," Jon grinned, "Girls love me."

"Uh huh," Rayleigh answered with a roll of her eyes, "I don't know what the Diva's division is going to do for the next year and a half. April's out, Trin's out, Brie's out, now Beth's out because they're all pregnant, I swear I'm starting to think we need to hold a Sex Ed class now. Nikki's taking a couple of months off to plan her and John's wedding that probably won't happen until next year at the earliest, Paige isn't set to return from injury for another two months, Layla is retiring in less than month, Summer Rae is off filming another movie and I had to suspend Eva Marie and Cameron because of that horrible debacle with that spiteful, little Grande girl last week at the Teen Choice Awards. At this rate, we're going to have to call up all of the NXT Divas just so we can have a good women's division on the main roster. And as if the turmoil in the Divas division wasn't bad enough, I have a giant Talent Relations meeting with Carrano, DeMott, Zahra, Colby, Paul, Steph and Vince because of Colby's giant social media problem last week during RAW." Rayleigh groaned, as she threw her head into her hands. Wyatt and Sophie giggled at their mother's behavior.

"You look like you need a drink," Jon commented, as Rayleigh continued to whine and groan about the fact that they were going to have to end up putting the belt on Rosa, if they lost anymore Divas. Rayleigh took off her glass and placed them on the desk beside her. Jon was right; she really did need a drink.

"Awe, babe," Mike cooed, as he walked into the room closely followed by Nick, who decided it was better that he didn't look directly at the former Diva, "You look like someone just stole the last Kit Kat bar."

"Kit Kat," Sophie repeated, looking around the room for her favourite chocolate bar. Jon chuckled and continued to run his fingers through her hair before pulling a small fun sized Kit Kat bar out of his pocket and handing it too her.

"It's official," Rayleigh whined, as Mike ran his fingers through her hair in an effort to try and calm her down, "We're down to Rosa, Alicia, Emma and Nattie for the Divas division until at least next month when Summer Rae is set to return and nobody wants to bring Charlotte up quite yet and I'm ready to fuc-fudging scream because I do not know how we're going to accomplish anything in this division if there isn't one and-and-and-"

"Okay," Mike said, taking his wife's hands in his own and placing them on her knees as everybody looked on, "You are going to take a deep breath with me on the count of three, okay?" Rayleigh nodded in response.

"One, two, three." Together, the married couple took a deep breath and held for a moment before exhaling. Beth, Jon and Nick could visibly see Rayleigh calm down, as Mike made to stand back up.

"Plus, I don't think you have anything else to worry about," Mike added, "Because Nick just agreed to go on this blind date that you set up with Ashleigh." If there hadn't been small children within arm's reach, Nick would have reached towards Mike and tried to strangle him for effectively throwing him under the damn bus. Rayleigh looked up at him with her sparkling blue eyes and a large smile on her face, her previous almost panic attack completely forgotten.

"I guess, I owe Mike ten bucks," she joked, "I didn't think that he would actually be able to get you to agree to this, Nick." Nick glowered at Mike. This was obviously news to him. To think that his best friend would throw him into the shark pit from hell just so he could win ten dollars, TEN DOLLARS, from the woman that he slept to each and every night. Though, he really shouldn't be that surprised.

"Wait, why do you have to attend that giant Talent Relations meeting," Beth asked, interrupting the conversation before Rayleigh could even continue, "If Carrano is the one that's in charge of the male roster, and DeMott is in charge of Talent Relations for NXT, why do you have to attend the meeting?"

"Because, we're going to be talking about 'preventive measures' that now have to be taken," Rayleigh groaned, as she shook her head, "Carrano's going to be giving me the evil eye the entire meeting because I apparently set a precedence when I let the 'Lana Debacle' slide."

"I never understood why you did that," Beth added, as she made funny faces at the small, almost toddler that sat in her arms.

"There are a lot worse photos out there of other Divas former and present, plus WWE was very much aware of the photos and the movie that was out there when she signed with us," Rayleigh explained, as she clicked away on her computer once more, "It wouldn't have been fair to let her go because of that, just like I'm going to continue to fight to make sure that Zahra gets the same treatment that Colby is."

"I thought you would've been all for Leighla getting her revenge," Nick added, completely ignoring the slight glare that had made its way onto Jon's face, "I mean, we all know what happened between you and John." Rayleigh chuckled, while she shook her head.

"Oh trust me, if Colby was cheating, he'll be hearing it, but she had no right to do that," Rayleigh said, "I mean I had some pictures of John-"

"La la la la," Mike sang, as he covered his ears practically begging his wife not to continue.

"But, you didn't see me posting them all over the internet where anyone can find them during my four months off," Rayleigh answered, over the noise of her husband "There are more mature, private ways of dealing with that kind of situation, one that doesn't involve ruining one, maybe two people's careers. Now, Nick, I'll let Ashleigh know that you have agreed to this date and we'll see you for dinner on Friday."

"Shouldn't I let her know?"

"Oh no," Rayleigh answered, with a quick shake of her head at the bleached blonde, "No, I'm not letting either one of you out of this blind date, now that Mike and I have gotten the both of you to agree to it. There will be absolutely no kind of communication between the two of you until this Friday when she finally joins us and we go out for dinner."

"Why is she coming to us just for a blind date, why don't we wait until the next time that we're in Toronto? I mean wouldn't that be easy for a single mother?" Nick asked, looking extremely confused. Rayleigh looked at Mike, who returned her look with a sheepish look of his own.

"You didn't tell him?"

"I thought it would be a good idea to let her tell him on Friday?"

"You know what she's like Mike."

"Well, excuse me for being able to give them some kind of conversation."

"Bah, your useless as an assistant, you know that right?"

"Can someone please tell me, what's going on here," Nick interrupted, looking between the former Diva and WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

"She's coming to work for the WWE," Rayleigh explained, "She needed a job because the last job she had, they let her go due to budget cuts. She's going to be Steph's new road assistant, which means she'll be working closely with Beth and myself."

"What do you mean working closely with Beth and you," Jon asked, looking in between his wife and sort of sister-in-law, "I thought Beth was just going to continue travelling with me until she was about eight months and then she was going to stay in Nevada."

"I'm going to be her assistant," Beth explained, placing her hand on his bicep, "I'll still go home when I'm eight months, but I need something to do when we're travelling Jon. I can't just travel, be surrounded by it every day and not do something."

"Alright, but the moment I see you working too hard, I'm taking it up with your boss," Jon joked, throwing a wink at the brunette sitting across from him. Rayleigh shook her head, a smile spreading across her face. Nick looked in between the three and for a moment he inwardly smiled. Rayleigh really was amazing with finding someone their ultimate happiness.

"Who's picking up, uh, Ashleigh from the airport," Nick asked, scratching the back of his neck. Rayleigh looked over at him with a thoughtful look on her face that made Nick slightly uneasy.

"I don't know yet," she answered, biting her bottom lip, "I know she said that she might rent a car, but she hasn't called me back yet to let me know whether or not she made a reservation. I guess, you'll just have to wait and see. Now, if you all will excuse me, I must go die of boredom during this stupid preventive Talent Relations meeting." All eyes followed the brunette as she left the room. Nick turned to look at Mike with a wide eyed look.

"I shouldn't have asked," Nick thought out loud.

"No, you probably shouldn't have."


	2. Ashleigh and Ella

Chapter II: Ashleigh and Ella

* * *

Friday morning came much too quickly for Nick's liking. The moment that he woke up next to some raven haired conquest from the night before, he felt differently. He felt almost bad even. He knew that if Rayleigh ever found out that he had brought some girl back to his hotel room the night before he had his first date with her friend from her high school days, he would have to say goodbye to his reproductive organs because she would have severed them from his body with a dull spoon. As his brain began thinking about the many ways his last conquest could turn bad for him if Rayleigh ever found out, his phone rang.

"Hello," Nick answered, as the raven haired woman beside him turned away from the noise, burying her head into the soft hotel pillows.

" _Nick,_ " came the soft melodic voice of the woman he had been afraid to hear from before he could get rid of last night's conquest, " _Are you awake? Wait, don't answer that, of course you're awake because you answered your phone._ "

"Rayleigh, what do you want," Nick asked, running a hand over his face. Behind him, he could feel the raven haired woman perk up at the name of a woman as well as the sound of said woman's voice, "It's a little early for you to be calling people."

" _It's eleven o'clock_ ," Rayleigh deadpanned, causing Nick to cringe because if he didn't want her to find out about the woman behind him, he really shouldn't be giving her any reason to be suspicious, " _Whatever, don't worry about it, I'll just call Kevin to do it. I'm sure Maryse could spare him for the morn-_ "

"What do you need," Nick asked. He could tell that Rayleigh was laying it on thick if she was willing to interrupt Kevin and Maryse during the only week that Maryse had been able to visit in months.

" _Ashleigh is stuck at the airport_ ," she explained, " _The airport lost her car reservation. Mike left to do a radio interview and then he has a photo shoot for the website. I have to talk to Colby and Zahra with Carrano and DeMott because we need to let them know what the corporate powers that be have decided to do about this whole situation and neither one of us can pick up Ashleigh and I already have Jon and Beth babysitting the kids, I can't possibly ask them to pick her and Ella up and-and-and-"_

"Calm down," Nick breathed, the last thing he needed was for his best friend's wife to have a panic attack when she was on the phone with him, "I'll pick her up. I'll head out in about fifteen minutes okay, I think the last thing your friend needs is me smelling like beer."

" _Oh thank god_ ," Rayleigh sighed,  _"Wait, why would you-Nick!_ " Nick cringed as the sweet melodic voice of the Hall of Famer turned to a shrill shriek that could rival Sensational Sherri's, having worked out exactly what he had hoped she never would.

" _You are so lucky, I can't reach through this phone and strangle you, you blonde imp_ ," Rayleigh growled, " _Get rid of her and get rid of her now. If you ever do this again especially after tonight, I will make sure that you won't be able to fill a pair of wrestling shorts properly ever again._ " Nick winced, as he heard the click on the other end of the phone. The raven haired woman moved behind him and he inwardly cringed as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and began kissing the side of his neck.

"Mmm," she moaned, "Do you want to have another round before I-"

"You need to leave," Nick interrupted, pulling away from her as he began looking for his clothes, "I need to pick someone up and you can't be here. Look, this was a mistake and I-" The woman slapped him across the face before quickly pulling on the dress she wore last night and left, slamming the hotel door behind her. Nick winced. Sighing, Nick pulled his shirt over his head, and thought about what transpired. Rayleigh was right. He really needed to give up on getting by with one night stands and find something a little more fulfilling in life.

* * *

"What do you mean that I'm being picked up by your friend," Ashleigh quietly growled into the phone as she listened to her high school friend explain just why neither she nor her husband could pick her up. The raven haired toddler beside her, held onto her pant leg clutching it tightly in her little fist because she was afraid of her very large surroundings and the many people she did not know.

" _Ash, I'm sorry_ ," Rayleigh tried for the second time, " _The website needs my husband to do this photo shoot for next week and today was the only day that they could do it and I'm stuck babysitting two people who don't know the meaning of keeping it in their pants._ "

"Wow, that sounds pretty bad," Ashleigh deadpanned with a roll of her eyes, "Wait, that wrestler who had his nudes leaked on the internet-"

" _Yes, that one_ ," Rayleigh cut off, " _Trust me, I would much rather be picking you and sweet Ella up from the airport, but because my male Talent Relations counterparts are too busy making sure they fill their already oversized stomachs with donuts, I'm stuck babysitting until at least 2:00._ "

"And what are Ella and I supposed to until then," Ashleigh asked, running a hand through her dirty blonde hair, "Yes, you've gotten one of your friends to kindly come and pick us up from the airport, but-"

" _Don't worry about it,_ " Rayleigh assured her friend, " _Beth and her husband Jon will be meeting you in the lobby of the hotel with Sophie and Wyatt. They'll get you all checked in and then they'll introduce you to a few of the people that you'll be dealing with and when they're finished they'll take you back to your hotel room to let you get ready for your date._ "

"I still don't know about this, Ray," Ashleigh sighed, looking down at her little Ella, who was now looking up at her mother with her beautiful emerald green eyes, "Who's going to babysit Ella? And I'm really tired from the flight and-"

" _No, you can't back out of this Ash_ ," Rayleigh interrupted, " _And don't worry about Ella. Beth and Jon are already babysitting Sophie and Wyatt and they'll have no issue babysitting Ella as well._ "

"Ray, you know she doesn't well with strangers _,_ " Ashleigh argued.

" _It'll be fine. Her and Sophie will play with Sophie's large Barbie collection and she won't even know you're gone_ ," Rayleigh assured her friend once more, " _Ash, you need to get back out there. He's not coming back._ "

"I've gone on dates," Ashleigh whined, bringing a giggle out of the raven haired toddler at her feet.

" _Not good ones_ ," Rayleigh argued, " _Trust me, he's a good guy and I wouldn't even be trying this hard to get the two of you together if I didn't think you would be good for each other_."

"Fi-"

"Excuse me," came a voice from behind her, "Are you Ashleigh?" Ashleigh turned around and came face to face with the familiar face of Nick Nemeth, who was looking at her with the most striking pair of blue eyes that she had ever had the fortune to see.

"Uh yeah," Ashleigh answered, hanging up her phone with not even a single goodbye to her friend, "You must be the friend that was drafted by my so-called match maker."

"Yeah," Nick answered, scratching the back of his neck, "And who is this pretty little lady?" Leaning down, he offered a smile to Ella, who turned and hid her face in the back of her mother's knee. It only last a moment though, before she looked out at him once more, a small smile spreading across her chubby little face.

"That's Ella," Ashleigh smiled. This guy obviously was great with kids if he had gotten Ella to give him even a small smile in that short amount of time, "Thanks for picking us up, I mean, it's not like you probably had much a choice. Rayleigh probably threatened you with some kind of black mail."

"She almost turned on the tears," Nick joked, "I can't handle it when a woman cries."

"Oh," Ashleigh deadpanned, not sure where this conversation was going.

"Not like that," Nick assured her, as he slowly began gathering up the suitcases, she had collected before receiving the phone call from Rayleigh, "Rayleigh has a special way of pulling on the heart strings until well, until you feel bad that you made her cry and I really don't want Mike coming after me. I mean, I like my face the way it is thank you."

"It is a good face," Ashleigh answered, before blushing. Nick smiled at her, and then looked down at Ella.

"Hey Ella," he said, "I think a friend of mine is looking forward to seeing you. I think she said something about wanting to show you her newest Barbie." Ella's emerald eyes lit up and quickly looked up at her mother, almost asking if it was okay to go with this strange man. Ashleigh smiled and lifted the small toddler into her arms as the pair made to walk towards Nick's car, which was actually Rayleigh's rental car, since his was being used by Matt Cardona and Kofi Kingston.

"So, Nick, I'm guessing, you're the one that Rayleigh is setting me up with later on tonight," Ashleigh asked, as the pair walked towards the car in the brisk winter air. Nick looked back and nodded, his bleach blonde hair practically dancing in the wind.

"Uh, yeah," Nick answered, "She, uh, thinks that we would be good for each other."

"Well, I'm not sure about that," Ashleigh said, getting straight to the point catching Nick slightly off guard, "I mean, I don't know where this is going and I really don't know if I want to go through with this because I have a daughter and while you might be good with kids, you might not be ready for the kind of commitment that comes with dating a single mo-"

"You know, if I didn't know better, I would say that you wanted to get rid of me," Nick joked, as he began loading the suitcases into the trunk of the rental car, "Look, I know this is going to be different from the other times that I've dated, but look, Rayleigh went through a lot of trouble to even get us to agree to going to dinner, the least we could do is give it a trial run before we call the whole thing off."

"Right sorry," Ashleigh said, as she leaned into the back seat and began installing the car seat that Ella would need, "It's just my last real relationship was with Ella's father and well, you can guess how things worked out."

"How about you tell me when you're ready," Nick offered, piling the last suitcase into the rental car, "I know this is weird. I've never dated a single mom and you probably never dated someone who has a career quite like mine, but like I said-"

"The least we can do is go to dinner and give it a try," Ashleigh finished, "Sorry again, I mean, my head just got ahead of me and then, I was just afraid."

"If there was one thing that Rayleigh taught me," Nick started, "It's that it's okay to be afraid. This is a pretty big commitment especially when you don't really know the person, but do you know what else she told me?"

"Sometimes the fall is completely worth it," Ashleigh answered, "That was part of her and Mike's reception speech at their wedding."

"I thought you looked kind of familiar."

* * *

Colby didn't know whether Rayleigh was going to tear his head off or if Carrano was going to do it. It was quite obvious that even though it was completely his fault, there was hell to pay on all sides because of what had transpired during last week's RAW. The tension in the hotel's conference room was suffocating and he couldn't wait to get this over with.

"Colby," Rayleigh started, "What possessed you to NOT PUT A PASSWORD ON YOUR PHONE?" Her voice rose in volume as she spoke. It was obvious that Carrano, Demott and her were very annoyed with the situation and he really couldn't blame them.

"I don't know, I mean," he stuttered, "I guess, I just-"

"Now, now," Carrano interrupted, "It's not your fault Colby, after all, why should a man-"

"Finish that sentence Carrano," Rayleigh threatened, "And I'll go to HR to report you for being a sexist bigot." It was official, Colby couldn't tell if the tension was because of what had happened with him or if it was something in between Carrano and Rayleigh

"Well, excuse me, Mrs. Mizanin," Carrano started, "If you hadn't set the precedence with these sorts of dealings, when the photos of Ms. Perry made their way onto the internet, our bosses wouldn't be struggling with how to punish these two."

"Please, Carrano, you were well aware of those photos when you signed her to her developmental contract with WWE," Rayleigh shot back in retaliation, "Though that is not why either one of us is here, we are here because somebody couldn't keep it in his pants." And with those words, Colby knew that it was of no use to hope that they could continue arguing long enough to forget exactly why they were there.

"Oh please," Carrano started again, but was quickly cut off by Rayleigh once more.

"Now, your personal affairs have nothing to do with us, but since your personal matters were plastered on the WWE's website for an undetermined amount of time, we are forced to take these matters quite seriously," Rayleigh explained looking at Colby, "Now, do you care to explain why exactly you felt the need to not place a password on your phone and more importantly have a high security password on all of your social media accounts?"

"I-I-I-I," Colby stuttered, looking at her absolutely flabbergasted. She wasn't telling him off for not keeping it in his pants, though he was sure that would come when Carrano wasn't around, but rather telling him off for not protecting his accounts and personal belongings well enough.

"Now, Mrs. Mizanin, I'm sure we are blaming the wrong person, how about we focus on the person that hacked the phone and Mr. Lopez's personal accounts," Carrano interrupted, causing the brunette in front of Colby to grit her teeth.

"I'm not blaming him," Rayleigh answered, through her clenched teeth, "I'm merely questioning his stupidity and since Sony and Apple still have yet to catch their hackers, why don't you get started?" If Colby wasn't in deep trouble, he probably would have laughed.

"Now, Colby, it has been decided that at this time you will not be punished, since Mrs. Miz-"

"If you bring up Ms. Perry again, Carrano, we're going to have more of an issue."

"Fine, Mr. Lopez, you will not be punished for this current issue, but if something like this were to ever happen again, please understand that we will have to take the necessary precautions," Carrano finished, before sending a glare at Rayleigh. She shook her head and gathered her things, while Colby sat still unsure is whether or not he should move. As Colby was about to ask whether or not he would be allowed to leave, Rayleigh's cell rang.

"Hello," she answered, in a sweet melodic voice that was extremely different to the one she had used on him earlier, "No, Eva, I can't in good conscience just let this slide. I agree, the girl probably had it coming acting like the diva, and yes, I use that term lightly, she is, but I have to enforce these things. Eva, I will gladly bring you back to the active roster in a month, provided that there isn't another incident during that time. Yes, Ariane too." Out of the corner of his eye, Colby could see Carrano shake his head.

"Now, Eva, I'm in a meeting," Rayleigh countined, "Goodbye. Now, where were we?" She looked at Carrano and just shook her head.

"I think we're finished," Carrano said, a bit of a sneer spreading across his face.

"That's good," Rayleigh answered, with a bit of a smirk on her face, "My husband and I have a date tonight and I would much rather be looking at his face, than your mug Carrano." Colby stifled a laugh as she gathered her things and left.

"You're lucky she set that precendence, Lopez," Carrano said, turning to face him, "If it was up to me, it wouldn't matter if you were Mr. Money in the Bank, I would have let you go the moment I saw those photos. Now, get lost." Colby got to his feet and quickly left the room only to run right into a very angry looking Rayleigh.

"Now, Ray, calm down, I'm sorry, I-I-I-I don't even know where that photo of Zahr-"

"Can it, Lopez," Rayleigh said, "From the moment I saw the photo, I knew you hadn't kept in your pants, so save all of the apologies for Leighla, but I think it's fair to say she won't even be bothering with you right now."

"You're right."

"Well, I have a double date with Mike and Nick tonight, but if you promise that this was strictly a onetime thing, and that it will never, and I do mean, never happen again," Rayleigh warned, "Then, I can promise that this will be coming nothing more than a bad memory. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah, I got you and are you sure you and Jon aren't related?"


	3. The Real Mastermind

Chapter III: The Real Mastermind

* * *

The wine was flowing, the restaurant looked perfect, but Mike's knee was bouncing, the table was shaking, Rayleigh was annoyed, and the two people that actually needed to be there hadn't even shown up. Nick and Ashleigh were both late, but it didn't surprise Rayleigh and Mike though, both of them were known for being late, so it was no surprise to the WWE's resident match maker that the two of them would be late for the moment that would change their lives forever.

"Where are they," Mike groaned, as he continued to bounce his knee, "You told them seven, right? I mean, I know I mentioned it to Nick once or twice before we left the gym today, but you did remind them that dinner was at seven and I'm going to shut up now because you're giving me that look." Rayleigh just looked up at her husband and smiled. It was sweet. He was nervous.

"Are you sure, you're ready to get through this dinner," she asked, looking over at her husband, "I mean, you're more nervous for their first date than you were for ours."

"I know," Mike groaned again, running a hand over his face in exasperation, "This isn't my normal behaviour."

"It isn't normal for you to try and instigate the set ups either," Rayleigh joked, "We can cancel still. Ash and Nick still haven't shown up and we can call this whole thing off, if you're not ready to see how your first set up works out." Mike looked at her in thought.

"No, no," he answered, "You put a lot of work into this whole thing; I want to see how it works out."

"Mike, baby," she sighed, "It's okay, I'm sure Ashleigh will have no problem-"

"Ashleigh will have no problem, what," the dirty blonde said, as she came up from behind her best friend.

"Getting use to the work load and travel, here at the WWE," Rayleigh covered with absolutely no issue what so ever, "Mike was just asking how I thought you would fair in your new job as Stephanie's road assistant." Ashleigh nodded, as she took the seat that was being offered to her by Mike, who was being an absolute gentleman and pushing her into the table.

"Oh," Ashleigh sighed, "I still haven't thanked you for doing that for me, I mean, you really went out on a limb for me and-" Rayleigh held her hand up to pause her friend in the middle of her sentence.

"Ash, I wouldn't have even brought it up if I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it," Rayleigh chuckled, "Now, we just waiting for Nick and we'll-"

"No need to wait," said the blonde as he came up from behind her much like Ashleigh had done, "I'm here now. I just wanted to stop by a local flower shop that Good had told me about and get these two beautiful ladies some flowers." From behind his leather jacket, Nick pulled out a bouquet of tiger lilies and a bouquet of white roses. Mike shook his head as he watched the WWE's resident show off hand each woman their small bouquet. It was no surprise to him that Nick would get his wife tiger lilies, almost everyone knew that they were her favourite flower.

"Wow," Ashleigh breathed, as Nick handed her the beautiful bouquet of white roses, "These are beautiful, and thank you. How did you know white roses were my favourite?" Mike didn't miss the look that Nick had quickly sent his wife, who was secretly smiling down at the lilies. There must have been a phone call pertaining to this very subject sometime earlier today or during the week.

"Oh just a wild guess," Nick answered, a wide smile spreading across his face, "How is Ella, I mean, she looked exhausted when I had picked up the two of you earlier." Mike looked up at his wife, unaware that she had called Nick to pick the single mother and her god-daughter up from the airport when both of them had failed to reschedule their business plans.

"Oh, she was supposed to have taken a nap with Sophie and Wyatt after I dropped her off with your friends, Jon and Beth," Ashleigh answered, sipping at the water that the restaurant provided for the group of four, "She really has grown since the last time I saw her, she's starting to look so much like you, Ray."

"She'll always be my wife's mini me," Mike commented with a laugh, causing the other three to chuckle in return, "Maybe that's why I never seem to be able to let her get away with anything."

"Please," Nick scoffed, "You let her get away with things because she's your little girl and you don't want to be out done by Adam, Cena or Good."

"I'm her favourite, she told me so," Mike pouted, causing the other three to laugh once more.

"So," Nick started with a shake of his head, "Ashleigh what brings you to the WWE?"

"I, um, I was let go from my other job because they couldn't pay for my contract any more," Ashleigh explained, "I think it also had something to do with the fact that I would bring Ella to work with me, but this is probably for the better."

"The WWE does seem to be happiest place on Earth for children," Nick chuckled, "Don't worry about that, Ella will be just as loved as all of the others. We're one big happy-" Nick was cut off by the shrill ring of Rayleigh's cell phone. From beside him, he could hear Rayleigh quietly groan and pull out the offending piece of technology from her purse and that was also when he noticed an eye roll as well.

"Phil, I'm off the clock and busy at this very moment," Rayleigh answered, an annoyed tone in her voice, "You threaten to quit at least once a month, why should I even take this seriously any more? Okay go on. Uh huh, uh huh…He's an idiot, Phil, I've told you that before and I'll keep telling you that every single time you come to me to complain about whatever Carrano has said or done. Now, are you done? Can I go back to  _my date with husband now? Yes, that's what_ _I'm_ _busy with. Goodbye Phil!_ "

"Everything okay," Mike asked, looking worried as his wife threw her company cell phone into her purse without a care in the world for it after quickly taking the battery out.

"Do we need to get you back to the hotel," Nick asked, "I don't think Ashleigh would like to deal with angry CM Punk on her first day as Stephanie's assistant."

"No, everything is fine for now," Rayleigh answered, with a shake of her head, "That phone call should buy us all and more importantly, April, at least eighteen hours of peace before he threatens to go live on RAW and publicly shame management. I'll deal with Phil in the morning, when I'm back on the clock.

"Wow," Ashleigh sighed, "I don't even know if I want to meet the infamous Phil Brooks any more after that."

"He's harmless, most days," Rayleigh said, with a wave of her hand, "It's just when Carrano does or says something to him that he doesn't like or when you have creative writing things that are completely unbelievable."

"Don't lie to the girl, Ray," Nick joked, "He's a grumpy bastard most days out of the year."

"As long as you know how to handle him everything will be fine," Rayleigh explained, once she saw the almost fearful look on the face of her high school friend, "Phil Brooks is harmless, no matter what he and others like to think. He'll get on your nerves and drive you completely up the wall, plus, you'll barely have to deal with him, Ash, Carrano and I are usually the ones that get the brunt of his idiocy." Mike and Nick chuckled as they thought back to Rayleigh's first week.

"What's so funny," Ashleigh asked, looking between the pair slightly amused.

"The look on Punk's face when he thought he could get what he wanted just by being a jerk to my lovely wife," Mike explained, wiping a tear from his eye.

"I don't I've ever seen him that shocked before," Nick added, wiping away a tear of his own. Ashleigh looked in between the pair confused, while Rayleigh just shook her head at her husband and his best friend.

"I twisted his ear, and told him in no certain terms was he going to get any special treatment just because I considered him a friend and thanked him in my Hall of Fame speech," Rayleigh explained, taking pity on the slightly older woman, "I also simply reminded him that I was on creative good's side, unlike him and that if he ever tried it again, I would have no issue throwing him into the crowd during the main event at Wrestle Mania just to hand out popcorn and candy. He learned not long after."

* * *

Dessert had come and gone and so had Rayleigh and Mike, leaving Ashleigh and Nick all by themselves for the first time since he had graciously picked her and her daughter up from the airport earlier that day. The first portion of their date was filled with laughs thanks in most part to Mike and Rayleigh trading stories with Ashleigh about being parents, the date had gotten a lot more serious since the married pair had left.

"So," Nick started, as he placed his wine glass down on the table, "I've got to ask, is Ella's father in the picture at all?" Ashleigh was silent for a moment sipping at her own wine before running her manicured hand through her normally curly blonde hair.

"He was for a time," Ashleigh responded.

"For a time?"

"He was there when I was pregnant," Ashleigh explained, "He was there for the first few months of Ella's life and everything seemed like it was going well." Ashleigh paused, sighing as she took another sip of her wine. Nick could tell that obviously something had happened and in all honestly, he was sure that it hadn't ended well for her, but he wasn't so sure about the fate of Ella's so called father.

"I woke up one morning and he was gone," Ashleigh explained, a slightly pained look in her eyes, "Took all of his clothes, his possessions and left me just a note saying that he was fine, but he just couldn't be a father anymore even though he absolutely adored Ella."

"Well, obviously he didn't adore her that much," Nick commented, "If he really did adore her then he wouldn't have gotten up and left in the middle of the night like a coward. He would have faced her and the tears that would have ensued."

"She barely remembers him," Ashleigh shrugged off, "By the time, she's my age she won't even remember him and how he left us." Nick and Ashleigh both looked at one another as they took a sip from their respective wine glasses.

"Does Ray know any of that," Nick asked, looking at the blonde that sat across from him worriedly. Ashleigh fiddled with the Pandora's charm bracelet that sat on her wrist and nodded.

"She knows," Ashleigh answered, "She knows everything, she's even read the note. She promised that the moment Ella came to me with any questions that she would help answer them because she was in that position too. Sure, she had father figures, she had Adam, Jason, her grandfather, Paul Levesque, Shawn Michaels, Mark Calaway even Vince McMahon, but Ella, I don't know if she will have anyone like that."

"Mike's in her life, isn't he," Nick asked, "I'm sure that we he would have no problem playing Daddy to a beautiful little girl like Ella."

"I can't ask him that," Ashleigh stated, before taking a sip of her wine, "Yeah, he's amazing with her, but he's got his hands full with the WWE, Sophie and Wyatt, plus Ella's own father didn't stick around, how can I expect a man who isn't even related to her to stick around?"

"Ashleigh-"

"You can call me Ash," Ashleigh interrupted, "Almost everybody does."

"Okay, Ash, that man, Ella's father," Nick started again, "Yes, there are many like him, hell Rayleigh basically threw her own sperm donor out of the house and off her and Mike's property a year ago, but there are men out there who can come to love them like they were their own."

"And are you one of them," Ashleigh asked, catching the blonde wrestler off guard, "Could you come to love a child that wasn't yours?"

"I very well could. Ella-"

"I said nothing about Ella."

"No, you didn't," Nick chuckled, "But, she was the entire reason why you asked. You wanted to know before we took this any further. You don't want to waste your time on a guy that could be exactly like your ex. Ella, from what I saw, is an amazing little girl and I would already do anything that would make her smile."

"She's a special little girl," Ashleigh nodded, "She, uh, she's the reason that I can get up and face each and every day."

"Well, then I'll make you a deal," Nick offered, a small smile spreading across his face, "If Ella or you at any point feel uncomfortable, you can step away from all of this. I won't be hurt."

"Counter offer," Ashleigh chuckled, leaning on the table, "We let this grow naturally. Rayleigh can play her little games all she wants, but we choose the pace. We figure this all out on our own terms and if at any time either one of us feels like this isn't going anywhere, we step away."

"Seems fair," Nick agreed.

"All I ask is that we don't let Ella get too attached to the idea of you and I until we-we know for sure that this is something that we want," Ashleigh added, "I can't see someone else walk out on her. She-she's my little girl and-"

"And you want to protect her," Nick nodded, "I understand."

* * *

The next morning, Nick rolled over and came face to face with a sleeping Ashleigh. Inwardly, he jumped. He could barely remember anything after their conversation and if what he was thinking really did happen, he was sure that Rayleigh would make sure that he would have to stuff his wrestling shorts with a pair of socks before he even left the locker room. And Mike? Mike wouldn't even be able to save him from the wrath of the recent Hall of Famer.

"Please tell me that I'm dreaming," came a raspy voice behind him. Part of Nick hoped that this was a dream, but the hangover that he was currently experiencing was actually happening, he knew that it was anything but.

"I'm not dreaming, am I," Ashleigh asked again, prompting Nick to turn and look at her for the first time since he rolled over.

"Nope, not a dream," Nick answered, cradling his head trying to block out the sunlight that was flittering in through the curtain, "And I'm guessing that you remember just as much as I do."

"Oh Lord," Ashleigh cursed, burying her head underneath the multitude of pillows that littered the hotel bed, "I was hoping that you would remember at least one thing from last night because I don't remember anything after we had left the restaurant.

"At least you remember leaving the restaurant," Nick groaned, lying back against the pillows as well, "I don't even remember doing that."

"Ugh," Ashleigh groaned, "It's a good thing that Ella was with Jon and Beth last night because I would really be in a lot of trouble."

"You probably won't be in as much trouble as I will be with a certain match maker if she finds out that we got so black out drunk last night and ended up in bed together," Nick groaned, "She'll find someway to say it was my fault that I corrupted her best friend.

"It takes two to tango, Nick," Ashleigh said, trying to make him feel better, "She'll understand that. Not to mention, I think you forgot that she and Mike practically fell into bed together a couple weeks into their relationship, plus they could barely keep their hands off of each other after dessert last night, no wonder they have two children." Nick chuckled as he thought about what he could remember from the previous night.

The two lay back in bed, more comfortable with one another than someone would have thought possible. Ashleigh looked up at ceiling as she tried to remember something from the night before that could explain just how she and Nick had ended up in bed together, even though she was sure that it could have been worse. She could have ended up in bed with some stranger. Ashleigh looked over at Nick. There was obviously something about him that made her heart flutter and make it feel like her entire world flipped on her axis. What she was feeling right in this moment, this was the exact feeling that Rayleigh had described after her first date with Mike.

"Hey," Nick said, bringing Ashleigh out her thoughts, "Do you, uh, do you want to go get breakfast or something? You-you can bring Ella. I know this pretty amazing diner down the road from here that serves some pretty good pancakes on the weekends and I don't know, I guess we're doing this..." Nick felt like an idiot as he continued to ramble. He liked Ashleigh. He would definitely have to thank Rayleigh later provided that she didn't find out about what happened the previous night.

"I-I would like that," Ashleigh answered, a large, beautiful smile spreading across her slim face, "Just let me change, shower and grab Ella and we'll join you in the lobby in say-"

"A half hour?"

"Sure," Ashleigh agreed, pulling the dress from last night over her head, "See you in half an hour."


	4. Princess or Villain?

Chapter VI: Princess or Villain?

* * *

Rayleigh groaned and tried to bury her head under her husband's arm as the hotel room phone started ringing earlier in the morning than she thought was possible. The sun didn't even look like it was up yet, in fact it still looked like it was still dark outside and whoever was trying to contact her that early was, in Mike's mind, a complete and utter idiot. Anyone in the WWE corporate or talent should know by now that ever since her retirement from in-ring competition, Rayleigh appreciated the ability to sleep in more than all of them combined. Mike wrapped his arms around his wife's bare waist and tried to muffle the sound of the incessant ringing with his own pillow.

"Calling at this ungodly hour should be punishable by death," Rayleigh whined, nuzzling her face deep into her husband's neck, as he brought the covers over their heads. Mike chuckled tiredly, kissing her forehead and breathing in the scent of his wife's skin. The light perfume she had worn the previous night still lingered.

"Could it be important," Mike asked, rubbing the fingers of his left hand up and down her bare back, "I mean almost everyone knows to only call our cell phones unless it's a real emergency."

"Beth or Jon would come and knock on our door if it was the kids," Rayleigh answered rationally, "My mom isn't even up at this hour, neither are either set of your parents and Adam, well, I'm sure he's fine."

"You don't seem that worried about your brother's well being," Mike chuckled.

"He should be fine, he's not a complete idiot," Rayleigh chuckled, "I would have been informed by now by Liz, my mom or Jason if he was going to attempt stupid." The phone started ringing again, causing the married couple to pull the covers from over their heads and glare at the offending piece of technology because it was affecting what should have been a peaceful, kid-free morning. Those were in short supply for Mike and Rayleigh now that they were both back on the road and had Sophie and Wyatt with them.

"Could it be work," Mike asked, looking down at his wife, as she once again turned away from the phone.

"If it's work, it's definitely not an emergency and they can leave a message on one of our cell phones and they can wait until a decent hour," Rayleigh answered, "Plus, I've already told them that all work requests for either one of us must be given twenty-four hours before hand."

"You are the smartest woman I have ever known," Mile groaned, pulling his wife tight against his chest, "And I am so glad that I married you." Rayleigh squealed, as he pulled her on top of him, so she was straddling his waist. 

"Well," Rayleigh chuckled, leaning down, so that her chest was pressed against her husband's, "Now, that we've officially decided that whoever is trying to get a hold of us can wait and we don't have to pick Sophie and Wyatt up until after lunch, what do you want to do Mr. Mizanin?"

"Mmm," Mike moaned, feeling his wife's lips against his skin, "I think we can come up with something, Mrs. Mizanin."

"I'm sure we can," Rayleigh moaned in response, as she felt her husband's hand trailed down her sides and clutched at her thighs. Mike and Rayleigh passionately kissed just as the hotel phone once again began ringing. It's shrill ring filling the air, but the married couple completely ignored it in favour of pleasuring each other. It wasn't until Rayleigh began trailing small, wet kisses down her husband's neck and collarbone that a thought entered Mike's pleasure clouded mind.

"Weren't you supposed to call Punk," Mike moaned, as Rayleigh continued her trip south. Rayleigh looked up at him and then over to the now silent hotel room phone.

"Shit," she swore under her breath. Both her and Mike looked flush and she was much more interested in finishing what the two of them had started instead of dealing with the equivalent to a tattooed toddler. The only thing that she was unsure of is whether or not Punk and more importantly April could wait until she and Mike were satisfied. Unfortunately for April, Rayleigh's train of thought was obliterated when Mike's fingers had reached their target in-between her legs.

"He can wait," she moaned, grabbing her husband by the back of his neck and pulling his lips towards her own. Mike smirked. Damn straight, Punk could wait a couple, maybe a few more hours.

* * *

Nick Nemeth breathed out a sigh of relief after narrowly escaping a morning that was almost spent being questioned by his best friend's wife, the bane of existence. But, if he really wanted to be honest with himself, he was going to have to give Rayleigh a new name because he owed her. Ashleigh, she was amazing in his eyes. Combing his wet hair back, Nick smiled.

"Knock knock," Mike called, as he unceremoniously let himself into Nick's hotel room. The smile Nick had on his face slipped away.

"No," Nick said, as Mike looked at him through the mirror, "No, go away, I am not dealing with you or your wife right now. I have plans."

"Plans," Mike asked, looking intrigued at the tidbit of information Nick had let slip, "It's not even eleven am, and you, you have plans. Mmm..."

"Don't give me that look," Nick said, leaning against the bathroom counter, "Ashleigh and I are getting breakfast. She's bringing Ella along. No, no I'm not right talking to you about this.""Why not," Mike teased, "You don't want to admit that my beautiful and smart wife was right?"

"I'm not saying anything of the sort," Nick sighed.

"Okay, okay," Mike chuckled, holding his hands up in the air in surrender, "Well, I guess I'll be leaving, so I can-""Oh, no, no you don't," Nick said, grabbing his best friend before he could escape, "The fact that Ashleigh, Ella and I are having breakfast is something that is going to stay between us. I don't need your wife butting her nose in this anymore. Neither Ashleigh and I need her help anymore."

"Oh, so you expect me to lie to my wife, Nick," Mike mused, causing Nick to inwardly groan. He should have known that no good came from Mike coming to his hotel room before eleven, especially when he and Rayleigh could be better suited spending their child-free hours participating in more pleasurable activities.

"No, I just expect you to keep a secret."

"There are no secrets between us, Nick, you know that," Mike said, taking a seat in the hotel room's arm chair, "And here you are asking me to do just that. Mmm..."

"What do you want frog face," Nick sighed, finally knowing what Mike was getting that. If he was going to keep his and Ashleigh's little breakfast a secret from the former champion's wife until they saw fit to tell her, he was going to have to sweeten the deal for Mike."

"You free for the entirety of next weekend," Mike answered.

"Sorry, Miz, you're not my type, plus you're married to the one woman that could actually hurt me.

"Ha ha," Mike deadpanned, "That's not what I meant and you know it. Rayleigh's been a little stressed as of late. The disappearing Diva's division, Punk being his normal self and this scandal with Colby has her at her wits ends and personally, I think she needs to take a break."

"Agreed," Nick conceded, "Point?"

"Last night was the first time in a couple of weeks that she seemed like herself," Mike explained, "I think a weekend just me and her will do her wonders, so you are going to babysit Wyatt and Sophie,."

"Don't they both have godparents that can babysit them," Nick asked.

"Oh, you know they do," Mike smiled, "But, those godparents don't want me to keep a secret from my wife, so there's something for you to think about." Nick sighed as he watched Mike leave. He knew that he was going to have to watch Sophie and Wyatt if he wanted the WWE's resident loudmouth to keep his and Ashleigh's secret from his very nosey wife. It's not like it would be the first time. He used to babysit for the couple all the time when they first brought Sophie on the road and he babysat for the them on their last anniversary, but it would be the first time that he would babysit the Mizanin kids for more than a couple of hours.

* * *

Ashleigh led little Ella into the diner that she and Nick had decided that they would meet at after they woke up together with barely any recollection of the night before. Beth and Jon didn't ask any questions when she picked up Ella. In fact, they seem pretty unfazed by the sudden inconvenience since both Sophie and Wyatt were still there waiting to be picked up by either Rayleigh or Mike.

"Ashleigh," Nick called upon seeing her familiar face. Ashleigh waved and smiled at the bleach blonde and led Ella towards the back of the diner. Many of the diner's patrons were members of the WWE roster that Ashleigh would have the pleasure of dealing with she started work on Monday, but at this moment in time she only had eyes for the former Intercontinental Champion.

"I had fun last night," Ashleigh said, as she helped Ella into the booth that Nick had chosen for them to eat breakfast at, "From what I can remember anyway."

"Yeah," Nick chuckled, as he placed a kid's menu and some of the crayons that the waitress had left for Ella in front of the raven haired toddler, who smiled shyly at him, "Did you have fun with Sophie last night, Ella?" Ella looked up from the kids menu to look at her mother before looking over at Nick, nodding shyly.

"Well, that's good," Nick smiled, as the waitress came over to serve Nick and Ashleigh some well needed coffee, "You know, your Uncle Mike has asked me to babysit Sophie and Wyatt next weekend, so I was wondering Miss Ella, would you like to join us?" Nick tapped his finger gently against the young girl's nose. Ella offered the bleach blonde wrestler a shy smile before looking at her mother, silently asking for her permission. Ashleigh smiled down at her daughter before reaching over and tickling her stomach.

" Mama," Ella giggled, squirming away from her mother to try and stop the ticklish feeling that was spreading throughout her tiny little body. Ashleigh smiled and continued to tickle her daughter. Nick smiled at the pair.

"You wanna spend time with Nick, do yah, huh," Ashleigh chuckled, wrapping her baby girl in her arms, "I thought next weekend it would just be the two of us." Ella looked at her mother wide eyed before looking at the chuckling platinum blonde that was sitting across from them. "Ummm," Ella hummed, trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She had a lot of fun the previous night playing with Sophie, even with Wyatt causing a bit of a fuss every few hours. Even Beth and Jon weren't that bad. They let the little girls stay up past their bad time, though that was supposed to be a little secret between the four of them.

"Elle," Ashleigh chuckled, "If you want we can join Nick in his little adventure in babysitting, it doesn't just have to be the two of us." Ella looked back at her mother and then over at Nick. She could tell that her mother really liked this guy and if she really wanted to be honest with herself, she kind of liked him too. He wasn't like the other men that had entered her mother's life. He actually spoke to her, even if she didn't understand some of it and Auntie Ray liked him; that was always a plus 

"So, what do you say Elle," Nick asked, offering the toddler another kind smile, "Do you want to spend the weekend watching Frozen, playing princess at the park and eating all the sugar you can stomach?"

"What if I wants to play the villain like Auntie Ray sometimes does on the TV?"

The question was drowned out by the noise in the small little diner, but both Nick and Ashleigh heard it. Nick looked up at Ashleigh in slight surprise, but Ashleigh just smiled at her raven haired toddler not surprised at the question at all. She never was the one to force the idea upon her daughter that she needed to be a princess when her favourite character was the villain.

"If you want to be the villain, then the villain you shall be," Nick smiled, taking his cue from Ashleigh. As the small group laughed, the familiar brunette that Nick had been desperately trying to avoid walked into the diner, her small family following behind her.

"Shit," Nick swore under his breath, so Ella didn't hear him, "Look who just walked in." Ashleigh turned and spotted her high school friend wrestling her small son into the wooden high chair that the diner provided, as Mike helped their daughter into the booster seat that resembled the one that Ella currently occupied. She looked stressed, but happy to be spending the day with her children.

"No, no, don't look to long," Nick warned, "If you watch her too long, she might spot us."

"She's not a witch, Nick," Ashleigh joked turning back to look at him, "She won't be able to detect that we're here if I just look at her. Plus, I'm sure, she and Mike just want a quiet breakfast with Sophie and Wyatt before she has to deal with whatever work is important at this point in time."

"You're right," Nick shrugged, sipping at his coffee again, "Though I'm sure it's no coincidence that she and Mike ended up at the same diner that we did. She's all-knowing, I tell you, all-knowing." Ella giggled at Nick's outlandish behaviour. She had never quite seen a grown man act like he was at this exact moment.

“If she’s so all-knowing,” Ashleigh joked, “Then how come my best friend doesn’t know about how you and I spent the other night.”

“How did you spend the night, Mama,” Ella asked innocently, looking in-between her mother and the platinum blonde that was slowly making her feel more and more comfortable with him. Nick nearly choked on his coffee. He had not been ready for that question, nor had any idea on how to answer it.

“Playing Scrabble,” Ashleigh answered quickly, having long since developed a strategy on how to answer those sorts of questions when they did arise. Ella nodded before looking back at Nick, who was looking between the mother and daughter pair with a slightly confused look on his face.

“Pop Pop and Gammy Anna play scrabble a lot,” Ella explained, “It sounds funs because Gammy Anna screams a lot, but Mama says that I can’t play that ver-ver-version until I’m older.” Nick nodded, but still looked slightly confused at just what scrabble had to do with how he and Ashleigh spent the previous. Ashleigh took pity on the wrestler and smiled.

“Gammy Anna is my old sorority sister and is married to my father who is three times her age,” Ashleigh explained, hoping that Nick didn’t need her to elaborate more. And if he did, she really would need to make sure that Rayleigh didn’t set her up with anymore wrestlers.

“That version isn’t as much fun as you think it is, Elle,” Nick told the toddler, trying desperately not to laugh, “You should try not to play it as long as you possibly can.”

“If it’s no fun than why does Gammy Anna scream so much,” Ella asked looking at Nick skeptically. Nick looked to Ashleigh for help, but she was laughing so hard that she could barely breathe. Thankfully though, Rayleigh had spotted the threesome and made her way over to them with a tired smile.

“Ella May,” she greeted, offering the small toddler a high five.

“Auntie Ray,” Ella answered, smacking her small hand against the Hall of Famer, “How’s you?”

“I’m good, little Miss May,” Rayleigh answered, offering both Ashleigh and Nick a smile, “You forgot something in Beth and Jon’s hotel room this morning, and I’m sure you wanted back quickly.” From behind her back, Rayleigh pulled out a beat up stuffed rabbit that looked like it had seen better days, but the moment that Ella saw the grey bunny, her eyes lit up.

“Mr. Whiskers,” Ella sighed, “I thought I told you to stay in my backpack. Silly bunny.” Nick smiled as he watched the small toddler wrap her arms around the neck of the stuffed rabbit and pull him close to her chest.

“Soph kept Mr. Whiskers nice and safe with Hoppy for you, but I thought you’d want him for naptime,” Rayleigh chuckled, “Now, I’ll leave you three to your breakfast. Oh, and Nick, I wanted to remind you about your meeting with Talent Relations before RAW tomorrow.” Nick nodded even though he knew that he didn’t have a meeting with Talent Relations. He knew that, that reminder was just a thinly veiled way of telling him that he better come and see her before RAW tomorrow, because she wanted to talk to him about how things were going with Ashleigh, if there was anything going on with Ashleigh.

“So,” he started, taking another sip of his coffee, “What do you ladies want to do today?” Ashleigh looked at Ella, who looked up at the ceiling patting her chin with her index finger. She looked adorable as she thought about how she could possibly want to spend her day in a city that she was very unfamiliar with.

“Can we go to the park?”

“The park,” Nick asked with a chuckle, “Well, if you Ella want the park, the park you shall have.”

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone,**

**I would have had this out a couple weeks ago if things hadn’t been so crazy on my end. You can blame several health issues, but I’m back now and hopefully it won’t take so long to get out the next one. Keep voting and maybe check out my sort of prequel ‘That Loving Older Brother Feeling’ and give me some ideas on some one-shots that I could do that center around Edge and Rayleigh.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**xo** ****


	5. A Fifteen Year Old Feud

Chapter V: A Fifteen Year Old Feud

Nick waited patiently outside of Rayleigh’s make shift office at the arena in Cincinnati quietly. He could clearly hear that she was arguing with someone on the phone, but he couldn’t understand exactly what she was saying to whoever she was on the phone with. By the mere sound of her voice, she seemed a little high strung and if he were to interrupt her, Nick was almost sure that her frustration would be turned on him.

Everyone that walked by offered him a smile or avoided making eye contact with him all together and there was no in between. He didn’t know which one made him more uneasy, the smile or the very obvious avoidance. It was almost like standing outside the door of either Carrano or Rayleigh’s talent relation office immediately made you enemy number one or subject zero.

“Oh Nick,” Rayleigh said, coming out of her office, “Come on in and take a seat.” Nick nodded and ran a hand through his bleach blonde locks, taking a deep breath. There were two steel chairs sitting in the small office, and Rayleigh had everything she ever needed for work, sitting on a small little table.

“Um,” Nick said, looking around, “Do you need me to come back or?”

“No, it’s fine,” Rayleigh answered flippantly, “I was just on the phone with Stephanie and the Creative department, nothing that needs to be worried about right now, especially after I speak with…never mind. You are not here to talk about that, you are here because I want to talk to you about-“

“Ashleigh,” Nick finished for her with a sigh. Of course, Nick knew why he was there. It was obvious to him the moment that Rayleigh had mentioned it in the diner, but he had to admit he was curious as to why she was on the phone with Stephanie and Creative.

“Exactly,” Rayleigh said, with a small hint of a small, “Look, I know, I was the one that put the two of you together, but I want you to be completely honest with me, right now. Okay?” Nick looked at her completely confused now. He thought he was in this office for the standard warning. The ‘ _So, help me, God, if you ever hurt, insert name of friend/loved one, I’m going to_ …’ with the usual violent gestures and promised threats that had become standard with the set-ups that she was emotionally invested in, though it was very rare when she wasn’t emotionally invested.

“Okay,” he answered.

“How are you feeling about this entire situation,” Rayleigh asked, leaning back into the chair she now occupied, “How are you feeling about being set up with a single mom?” Nick knew almost immediately where she was going with it. Having grown up with in a single parent home with a brother that was almost eleven years older than she was, she wanted to make sure that she had made the right decision.

“I can’t lie, it’s different,” Nick told her, running his hand through his blonde hair once more, “But, Ella, Ella is amazing, you know, of course, you know, you’re her godmother. Ella is someone that can steal your heart with just a smile and Ashleigh has done so well, and she’s amazing too…” Nick continued to talk as Rayleigh’s smile grew. Mike really did make the right decision.

“And I really like that I’m getting to know her because Ashleigh is just this amazing woman, who is into a lot of the same things that I am, and-and-and why are you smiling at me like that,” Nick paused, looking at Rayleigh, who just had this smile that spread from ear to ear.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rayleigh told him, with a wave of your hands, “I’m glad that you finally listened to me.”

“Well, I’m glad that you gave me the chance to know her and didn’t take no for an answer,” Nick joked in response, “So, I guess, I’ll just-“

“And so, help me, God, Nick if you ever hurt Ashleigh and Ella, I am going to make sure that you become so physically disfigured below the belt that you are never going to know the feeling of someone else in that way again let alone your own hand,” Rayleigh promised with a smile that reminded Nick of her days when she had been working with both Edge and Christian during their TLC phase. He should have known that he wasn’t going to leave this office without the usual threat. Nick nodded not knowing whether or not she was being serious.

“Well, I guess, I’ll be leaving now,” Nick started, making his way towards the door, “I have to go find Joe to talk about our tag match against Glenn and Orton and you already know that, so I’ll just get on my way.”

“Alright Nick,” Rayleigh said, turning back towards her tablet, “And I’ve already sent Beth an e-mail to get him, but if you see my husband on your way, can you send him towards this office. You might have better luck than Beth finding him in the mess out there.”

“Uh, okay,” Nick said, looking slightly confused, “Does this have something to do with that phone call with Stephanie and Creat-“ Nick paused at the look that now graced the features on the Hall of Famer. If there was ever a time to make a quick getaway without saying another word on the matter, it was now. Nick shot out of the doorway and down the hall before she could make good on her earlier threat even if it wasn’t for the reason it was made for.

“Whoa,” Ashleigh said, as Nick almost ran her over as he turned the corner, “You okay?” Nick panted before smiling down at the short blonde woman that was standing in front of him.

“Uh yeah,” Nick answered, “I guess, I just maybe angered Rayleigh a little bit and that probably wasn’t a very good idea.” He pointed down the hallway towards where Rayleigh’s office was and Ashleigh flinched slightly.

“Yeah, Stephanie is a little frustrated as well,” Ashleigh revealed, “Do you think-“

“Oh I know, they’re connected,” Nick answered before Ashleigh could even ask the question, “Rayleigh revealed that she and Stephanie were on the phone with the Creative department when I was in my meeting with her. If they’re both angry about it, it’s probably not a good thing and it’s probably for the better that we leave them both alone and on opposite sides of the arena.”

“You’re probably right,” Ashleigh chuckled. Even though it was her first day, she knew that an angry or even a frustrated Stephanie Levesque wasn’t a good thing.

“Hey, look, I have to go, I have some work that needs to be done and I have to go see if I can find Mike for Ray,” Nick sighed, “But, if you want to travel together, I have a rental car waiting for me in the parking lot.”

“I’d like that,” Ashleigh answered, “And I’m sure, Ella would like that too. It’s kind of cramped on the Mizanin bus with three kids and three adults and very little room.” Nick chuckled.

“I can only imagine,” Nick smiled.

Beth and Ashleigh were standing outside Rayleigh’s office, waiting for both of their bosses and their bosses’ husbands to exit, but all they could hear was yelling. Who they were all yelling at, they really had no clue, but almost every single member of the roster who wasn’t needed or in the ring was waiting in the hallway to see who the two women were yelling at and why their respective husbands were involved.

“Who’s in there,” Nick asked, coming up behind them with Joe, Jon & Colby. Ashleigh placed her finger against her lips and pointed to the door, where the yelling had gotten louder, making everyone in the hallway flinch simultaneously. The Billion Dollar Princess and her ultimate on-screen rival yelling at the exact same time was not something people wanted to see behind the scenes. In the ring or in front of a camera, it was a ‘grab the popcorn and gather around’ kind of event, but now, behind the scenes, it was the kind of scene that made a person fear for their job, possibly even their life.

“What the fuck? Are you even understanding what we’re trying to tell you,” shrieked the Hall of Famer, causing everyone to flinch once more. Everyone in that hallway felt sorry for whoever was getting the telling off, but none of them wanted to walk away, because they all wanted to know who it was.

“Do you know who’s in there, baby,” Jon asked, placing a kiss behind Beth’s ear while he placed a hand on her still flat stomach. She looked up at him and shook her head.

“No one’s in there, Jonny,” Beth answered, looking up at him through her long eyelashes, “I don’t know who they’re yelling at because it’s only Ray, Mike, Steph and Paul in there. The kids, thankfully, have been left with Linda and Vince on the other side of the arena.” Jon looked up at his former Shield brethren confused. If no one was in there, then who were the two women yelling at?

“And why the fuck would you ask my father and not us,” Stephanie shrieked louder than Rayleigh did. Everyone in that hallway from the low carders to the proven main eventers inwardly swore. Whoever they were yelling at had gone over their heads and everyone from Creative to the roster knew that even if you wanted to get something done, it was never a good idea.

“You want the two of us to get back in the ring together after almost fifteen fucking years because you wanted to revive an old feud,” Rayleigh snapped, causing the hallway to gasp as one before they all looked towards the door. They did not want to be found skulking the hallway outside the door when the boss and one of the three Heads of Talent Relations were in the mood they were. On a good day, it wouldn’t matter, but the moment that door opened today, they were all going to scatter. It was every man for himself, the moment that door would undoubtedly slam open.

“They want Steph and Ray to work a feud,” Colby gasped, looking between the two assistants standing beside the door, “Shit, they really are in a tough spot with the Divas division if they want those two to come out of in-ring retirement.”

“We’re heading into Wrestle Mania season,” Beth whispered, “And with everything going on with Social Media and the Give Divas a Chance movement, we need a Divas match on the roster or some of the fans will revolt, but there’s no one on the roster that Creative thinks can handle that kind of Wrestle Mania mom-“

“We still have Natalya,” Rayleigh argued, with whoever they were yelling at over the phone, “If we bring up Charlotte, maybe even Sasha Banks within the next couple of weeks…Oh, don’t give me that shit, she’s fucking ready, they both are and you all fucking know it. Even DeMott agrees with me and there’s not much he and I agree on these days.”

“Exactly, Natalya and Charlotte had a great match on NXT,” Stephanie agreed, “They’ll definitely be able to handle their own and with Sasha in the mix it’ll...I don’t care if it’s a No Disqualification match, why the fuck should Ray and I even step in the ring?” No one in the hallway heard the answer, but the resulting cruel language that came from both Stephanie and Rayleigh’s mouths; they knew the answer wasn’t what they had wanted to hear.

“This is bad,” Beth said, placing her ear against the door, “Paul and Mike aren’t saying anything to try and calm them down. It sounds like Creative just might be getting their way…”

“Which means,” Jon continued for his wife, “That this entire company is going to be walking on egg shells until they can take their frustrations out on one another.”

“Would that be a good idea,” Ashleigh asked, biting her bottom lip as she looked towards the closed door, “Them taking their frustrations out on another, I mean.”

“Oh yeah,” Nick answered, looking down at the blonde beauty in front of him, “If I know this company like I know I do, Ray and Stephanie will be against this until they’re put in that ring against each other and then they’ll fall into old habits.”

“Old habits,” Ashleigh questioned, causing most of the small surrounding group to laugh.

“Yeah, scratching, clawing, kicking, screaming, slapping and of course, shrieking,” Orton joked, leaning around Nick to answer the question. Ashleigh nodded and turned back to listen at the door. There was silence. No yelling, no screaming or swearing, just silence.

Before anyone could react the door slammed open and Paul and Mike exited quicker than someone could count to ten. If the time had come to run, it was now, but no one in the hallway could move. It was almost like they were frozen in fear at the prospect of Rayleigh and Stephanie exiting, the Talent Relations’ office.

“Ashleigh!”

“Bethany!”

Both Ashleigh and Beth flinched as they heard the two women call their names, but they both put on a brave face though, as they gathered their courage and entered the room. Jon made to follow his wife inside, but the door was promptly slammed directly in his face.

“I wouldn’t go in there anyway, if I was you, Jon,” Mike said, putting his hand on the former Shield member’s shoulder, “They’re both irate at this point and looking for someone to take their frustrations out on because at this point, God forbid they do it on one another…”

“Or at the gym,” Paul added under his breath before continuing much louder, “It would also be safer for everyone to steer clear of this hallway until they’ve had a chance to talk to their assistants. Any talent relation meetings that were scheduled to take place with Rayleigh today will be re-scheduled and you will be contacted by Beth with the new date and time. As always, you can e-mail either of them with urgent requests.” The roster dispersed, leaving only a select few people standing in the hallway.

“How bad is it,” Cena asked, looking at Paul and Mike’s tired faces.

“Bad,” Mike answered.

“Finding out Cena cheated on her bad or finding out Cena agreed to take on the streak without checking with her first bad,” Randy asked, making their small group look at Mike, as he looked towards Paul, who was running his large hand over his shaved head.

“Worse than when she found out about Punk working while he had a staph infection,” Paul answered tiredly. The group grimaced, before looking towards the door where the four women sat doing only God knows what.

“Well,” Joe sighed, “I wish Ashleigh and Beth the best of luck.”

Nick was waiting with a sleepy Ella for her mother by his rental car when RAW had finished that night. It had been a long busy day for the raven haired toddler, who wasn’t used to the hustle and bustle that usually took place backstage at a WWE show. Her head was nuzzled into the crook of Nick’s neck, while they waited for her mother to return with her car seat that had been stuffed with the rest of the luggage on the Mizanin bus.

“Sorry, I took so long,” Ashleigh said, coming up to them, “We had to unload a few things before I could even reach the car seat.” Nick chuckled, and nodded.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, “She’s falling asleep, so I’m sure she’ll be out before we even hit the highway.” Ashleigh brushed the raven hair out of her daughter’s face and saw that she was almost out like a light. She was a bit surprised by that. Her daughter didn’t just fall asleep in anybody’s arms.

“Do you want to take her, so I can install the car seat,” Nick offered. Ashleigh smiled at him shaking her head.

“No, its okay,” she whispered back to him, trying not to interrupt her daughter, who was almost fully asleep, “I’ve installed this car seat enough times to know just how to get it in correctly. Have you ever installed a car seat before?”

“I’ve had to help Mike a few times,” Nick answered with a quiet laugh, “For someone who has had to install a few car seats in his lifetime, you’d think he’d of had enough practice by now.” The two shared a quiet laugh, while Ashleigh installed the seat with an expert air.

“So, how was the meeting with Boss One and Boss Two,” Nick asked, as Ashleigh backed out of the backseat and reached out to take her daughter out of Nick’s arms. Ashleigh grimaced.

“They’re angry,” Ashleigh answered, buckling her sleeping daughter into her car seat, “And I mean really angry, like so angry that they could make the devil himself fear them.”

“Yeah,” Nick sighed, “Did they tell you anything that they want done specifically for this feud.” Ashleigh shook her head as they both climbed into the front seats of the car and started on their way.

“They just want to get out of it at this point,” Ashleigh answered, “Ray’s thinking about quitting just until after Wrestle Mania to get out of having to do the match, but Stephanie reminded her that even if she quit her job as Head of Female Talent Relations, that she still had a lifetime Legend’s contract with them, so they would still have to do the match.”

“Wonderful,” Nick chuckled, “I guess, we’ll just have to wait and see what they plan on doing.”

“Yep,” Ashleigh chuckled as well, “And I know Ray’s mind half as well as I know I do, I know it’s going to be certifiably crazy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry, this chapter took so long, but have no fear it is here. Let me know what you think and don’t forget to keep voting for the poll on my FanFiction profile under the same name and check out my new story, ‘Your Future, My Past’ and my other Rayleigh story, ‘That Loving Older Brother Feeling’ because I seriously need some new ideas for that story.  
> xo


	6. Mommies and Daddies

It was a sunny day, the kids were laughing and Ashleigh and Nick were just enjoying their time together at the park with two very energetic little girls and a small male toddler that just seemed content to sit in the sandbox and dig with his shovel and bucket. Mike had called in his babysitting favour early when the news had broken to the company (everyone already knew about it, but the higher ups felt the need to make it official) that Rayleigh and Stephanie would be reviving their old feud in just forty-eight hours time, no matter how much either woman complained about it.

"I don't know how you do it," Nick sighed, as he looked at the two little girls who were running around the playground trying to catch one another in a small game of tag, "Sophie and Ella have so much energy when they're together, I can barely keep up."

"It comes with the territory," Ashleigh shrugged, "And I'm sure once Wyatt gets going, we'll have all three of them-oh no, sweetie, we do not put sand in our mouths, it's yucky." The single mother went running off towards the sandbox where the youngest Mizanin was shoveling a large clump of sand into his mouth with the help of his small chubby hand. Nick hadn't even seen the toddler attempting to eat the substance, until Ashleigh was already on her way to deal with it.

"Uncle Nick," Sophie whined, pulling at his pant leg.

"Yes, Princess," Nick answered, looking down at the little girl, who was looking up at him with her mother's big blue eyes, "What do you need?"

"Nothing," she answered, "But, are you going to be Ella's new daddy?" Nick looked towards the small raven haired girl that was standing behind Sophie, looking down at the ground not wanting to know the man's reaction. Nick frowned, unsure of how to answer this question.

"Ella, come here sweetie," he beckoned, to the small girl. Ella looked up at him with wide emerald eyes, before looking to Sophie, who just nodded that it would be okay for her to go towards him. Obviously, trusting that Sophie thought it would be okay, Ella came towards Nick, who lifted her up onto his lap.

"Sweetie, your mom and I, we're just friends at this point-"

"Friends don't kiss, Uncle Nick," Sophie piped up, looking at her uncle disapprovingly for lying to her friend; "Mommy and Daddy both say so." Nick looked down at the blonde girl before looking at Ella who was playing with her frilly purple skirt again.

"Ella, your mom and I are," Nick paused as he looked towards Sophie, "We're not like Sophie's mommy and daddy okay, but-"

"What's going on here," Ashleigh asked, walking up towards the small group, with Wyatt on her hip.

"Uncle Nick was just explaining to Ella if Uncle Nick was going to be her new daddy or not, Auntie Ash," Sophie explained, looking very proud of herself as she did, "But, he said that the two of you were just friends, but Mommy and Daddy both say that friends don't kiss, so you couldn't be friends, could you? Because Daddy, and uncle Jon and uncle Johnny and uncle Adam and uncle Jason all say that only mommies and daddies kiss and sometimes mommies and mommies or daddies and daddies kiss, but never friends. Is that where babies come from auntie Ash?" Ashleigh looked at the small child wide eyed, before looking at Nick who had the same expression on his face.

"Shhh, sissy," Wyatt said, looking at his sister with what could only be described as a bemused expression on his face, "Yous talks too too much."

"Umm, well," Ashleigh started, looking down at the young girl once more, "How about you ask your mommy and daddy that question?"

"I already did," she complained, stomping her foot on the ground in annoyance, "But both mommy and daddy said that they would tell me when I'm older and I'm older now." Nick couldn't help the amused smile that spread across his face at the behaviour of the small girl.

"I'm sure they meant when you were a lot older sweetie," Ashleigh explained, "Now, Ella, you know that talk you and I had a little while ago about how some little girls and little boys only have a Mommy or a Daddy?" Ella looked up at her mom with a nod.

"And sometimes those Mommies and Daddies bring a special friend into their lives because they want to see if they're Mommy or Daddy material because not all of the special friends that they bring into their lives are Mommy or Daddy material," Ashleigh continued, "That's what Nick is right now. I want to see if he's good Daddy material, but as of right now, he's not going to be your new Daddy okay?" Ella looked up at her mom again before looking at Nick, who was smiling at her with the same smile that he always looked at her with.

"And what if I think he would be good Daddy ma-ma-material," she asked, looking at her mother sheepishly, "Because he tries to do all the same things with me that Uncle Mike does with Sophie and isn't that what Daddies do?" Ashleigh looked down at her young daughter with a smile and nodded.

"Yeah, that's what daddies do, and I'm sure Nick is glad that you think of him like that but we still have a long way to go, baby," Ashleigh explained, "Do you understand?" Ella nodded, but Sophie didn't look impressed at all with how the conversation had gone. It was moments like that, that Nick could see that Sophie was becoming more and more like her mother with every day that passed. Sending the two girls back onto the playground, Ashleigh sighed, taking a seat next to Nick with Wyatt in her lap.

"Well," Nick started, "That was heavy."

"Yeah, it was," Ashleigh agreed, bouncing her knee slightly, causing Wyatt to release a joyous giggle.

"At least one good thing came out of that conversation," Nick chuckled, causing Ashleigh to look at him with a confused look on her face, "We know Ella likes me." Ashleigh looked over to where Ella was laughing loudly, while she joined Sophie on the swing set. It had been quite awhile since she had heard her daughter laugh the way she was. If she ever doubted taking this new job with the WWE, there was no doubt in her mind right now.

* * *

Monday morning came quickly though that week, which meant that Ashleigh found herself crammed into Stephanie McMahon's makeshift office at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta with several other superstars, many of which had no idea why they had been called in this early before a Monday Night RAW. Rayleigh and Stephanie were keeping to themselves, occasionally looking at the group, which added onto the anxiety the group was already feeling.

"Alright," Rayleigh started, clapping her hands together, "I'm sure some of you are asking just why you're here and what my upcoming feud with Stephanie has to do with you. I'm getting to that. As you can see with Stephanie being one of the many, many faces of the Authority this little war, which we'll be laying the ground work for tonight, is a little-"

"One-sided," Stephanie continued for the other brunette, "With Colby, Joey, Jamie, Glenn, Paul and Paul in my corner, it's quite obvious that Rayleigh is going to need a few people in her corner as well, especially since we'll be going with the whole No Disqualification match after all."

"Exactly," Rayleigh agreed, "Now, all of you will still have the matches that your scheduled to have at Wrestle Mania, getting involved in my story line with Steph won't jeopardize those at all, but it will mean that you will show up in more than one match on the card, with the exception of Joe."

"Why am I not going to be a part of your match," Joe asked, confused as to why he was going to be involved, but not exactly involved.

"We'll get to that," Stephanie explained, "But, the men of the Authority will obviously be on my team, with exception of Randy. Orton, you'll still have your program with Seth, which means that you'll start on my side, but after your face turn, you'll join Rayleigh's team."

"Right," Rayleigh continued for the Billion Dollar Princess, "And on my side will be Mike and Cena, obviously, Ziggles, our resident Lunatic, the straight edge messiah himself and of course, Randy and Joe. Now, since mine and Steph's match will be taking place before Joe's, Joe, you won't be getting involved in the match at Wrestle Mania itself, but since Lesnar isn't here on a week to week basis, you'll be working with me."

"She'll also be your manager, when Heyman and Lesnar are here," Stephanie explained, "You've gotten better delivering your promos Joe, not one of us can doubt that, but going toe to toe with Paul Heyman, you need someone who can talk just as well as he can and that's Rayleigh." Joe looked over at Rayleigh, who was smiling and nodding.

"Joe, we're not saying that you can't go against him," Rayleigh explained, "Because, I know you can, you have Anoa'i blood running through your veins, but Paul Heyman is a special breed of manager and we don't need to show your weaknesses against Brock everybody in the WWE Universe knows that he's a monster, what we need to show is your strengths and sadly, against Heyman, cutting a promo isn't one them."

"Cutting a promo isn't one of Brock's strengths either," Joe pointed out, "That's why he has Heyman to begin with."

"Exactly," Rayleigh said, "But, with some help from me, your cousin and the rest of this team, we're going to turn you into a walking, talking promo machine. John wasn't that great at cutting promos in the beginning either, now look at him. Trust me?"

"Dwayne says you're one of the best," Joe shrugged, "I'd be a fool not to trust you."

"I'll have to call him and thank him," Rayleigh chuckled, "Alright, I guess we're finished?"

"Pretty much," Stephanie answered, "You and I still have to over our segment later tonight with the staging crew, but other than that, yeah, we're done. Don't go anywhere far people, the show starts in under nine hours." The group began to disperse, but Rayleigh quick caught Jon by the arm before he could go anywhere.

"I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait," Jon asked, looking at her with wide eyes, "I promised that I would take Beth for lunch." Rayleigh looked at him and shook her head.

"No, you need to hear this." There was something about her tone and the way she said it that made Jon stay rooted to the floor He had only ever heard her use that tone when she needed to say was extremely important and she obviously thought what needed to be said was important.

"Alright, what is it?"

* * *

_"Ladies and gentlemen, a few weeks ago, we all watched in horror as the so-called future of the WWE, Seth 'I Can't Decide What Hair Colour I Want' Rollins with the help of Stooge and Stooge Security and the Slow Show, hold my dear brother hostage and he, uh, he blackmail my former client and best friend, John Cena into bringing back the-"_

'Welcome to the Queendom…'

_Hot Ray-Leigh visibly rolled her eyes as Stephanie McMahon's music filled the arena. Her teeth began to clench as she tried with all her might to keep resolve. Her knuckles were turning white as she held the microphone tightly in her hands trying not to make it a flying projectile weapon. She wanted so desperately to tackle the Billion Dollar Princess to the ground, but quickly reigned in what little self-control she had._

_"Hi Rayleigh," Stephanie grinned, "Fancy seeing you here tonight, I mean, I would have thought that you would have been hiding a long with the rest of the roster now that my husband and I-"_

_"I don't run, Steph, you know that better than anyone here," Rayleigh snapped, "I don't run from the likes of you and your husband. I stand and I take what is coming to me, but I also make sure that I take whoever I want and need to down with me."_

_"Whoa, whoa," Stephanie said, holding her hands up in mock surrender, "I don't understand this hostility between us, Ray. I mean, everything that we have gone through was many years ago, maybe it's time to let it go."_

_"I'll let it go the moment you suspend that good for nothing, wanna be future champion for what he did," Rayleigh answered, but before Stephanie could say something, she continued, "Oh, but you won't do that because he's Mr. Money in the Bank. Do you know which Hall of Famer wrote the blueprint for the briefcase and practically gave every superstar to follow in his footsteps a step by step information pamphlet on just when and where to cash those contracts in?" Stephanie went to answer again, but once more Rayleigh continued._

_"My dear, dear brother, Edge, the same Hall of Famer that your so called 'company man' held hostage last week," Rayleigh snapped through her clenched teeth, "Maybe you and your husband should just consider yourselves lucky that Edge and Christian are just suing the company for reckless and intentional endangerment and not Mr. Money in the Bank because then, you would have no choice, but to strip him of the briefcase. Now, how would that fit into your plans?"_

_"I actually came out here to talk to you about that," Stephanie explained, "This lawsuit, your brother and his best friend have against the company, I'm sure that you will agree is, it's frivolous. There is absolutely no poi-"_

_"There is a point, Steph," Rayleigh interrupted, "Seth "I Forgot to Dye the Other Half of My Head' Rollins, put my older brother in danger and practically risked a life ending injury just to bring you and your big ass nosed husband back into power all because the former WCW Vigilante that is Sting made sure Dolph Ziggler pinned Mr. I Don't Own A Mirror and he had rectify the fact that he forgot to keep his guard up in a match that held such…damning consequences for Mommy and Daddy."_

_"John had you done thanks to Dolph and Sting," Rayleigh continued, cutting Stephanie off before she could even speak, "You, your big headed husband and your power hungry abusive way were out the door and it was almost guaranteed that everyone in the back would never see you again. Things were good, the boys and girls in the back were happy. No one was afraid for their jobs, for their livelihood and one moment of weakness and…you and I, we're back to where we began."_

_"Back to where we began," Stephanie repeated, finally getting a word in, "What do you mean by that?" A twisted smirk graced the beautiful features of the 2015 Hall of Famer. Stephanie's normally cool exterior faltered for a moment because she had seen that smirk before. She had seen that smirk before her hair had been dyed an ugly neon pink colour, before her head had been stuffed into a backed up toilet and just before she had been thrown from her position as general manager of Smack Down._

_"I think you know what I mean, Steph," Rayleigh answered, the smirk never once leaving her face, "But, I'm also sure; you and I can come to an understanding if you come to see things through my eyes."_

_"I don't negotiate with people who are threatening my life's work," Stephanie snapped, her brown eyes widening in anger._

_"This isn't your life's work," Rayleigh shot back, her blue eyes narrowing," It's your father's, your grandfather's and your great-grandfather's. You? You're just the fourth generation spoiled little brat that gets to reap the rewards. I'll see you around, Steph." Stephanie watched in horror as the former Diva's Champion and Hall of Famer left the ring, the smirk still present on her face._

_"No," Stephanie called, as Rayleigh made her way up the ramp, "No, I'm not going to let this happen, not this time. Your little tactics of scaring me and bullying me aren't going to work this time."_

_"Are you sure, Steph," Ray asked, when she made it to the top of the stage, "Because you always seem to forget one tiny little detail…"_

_"What," Stephanie asked, looking confused. It was then that she noticed that Rayleigh was pointing in the direction of the rafter up above. Stephanie turned to look up just in time to get hit with a red slime that covered her from head to toe. The shrieking of the Billion Dollar Princess filled the air, as the top of the ring posts exploded and gold glitter rained down on the ring and surrounding areas. The crowd erupted into laughter as Stephanie tried to wipe the goop and glitter from her eyes only for Rayleigh to tackle her to into the mat getting red goop and glitter on both of them._

_"I always get my revenge," Ray growled, as she stuffed more of the red goop and glitter into Stephanie's face, "We're not finished, Steph, you and I will never be finished. There's too much history for me to bury and you will get what's yours. I don't when and I don't know how, but you will get it, even if I have to wait 'til Wrestle Mania for it to happen."_

'You make me so hot, make me want to drop..."

_"You won't get away with this," Stephanie shrieked at the Hall of Famer as exited the ring and made her up the ramp once more, "You won't get away with this."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Rayleigh needed to tell Jon? What do you think about Rayleigh and Stephanie stepping into the ring once more? How exactly will Rayleigh get her revenge? Let me know what you think and you'll find out.
> 
> Don't forget to check out my other stories.
> 
> xo


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